u/rasta-ragamuffin

I am poor, old, disabled, unemployed ,very isolated, very opinionated and strongly disagree with almost everyone I know on almost every single subject. I've struggled with communicating, making friends, finding jobs, and expressing myself my entire life. I feel misunderstood by every single person I know which is making me pretty miserable since I don't have a single person I see eye to eye with. I'm not stupid (but not a rocket scientist either) but apparently everything I believe, say or do is wrong. I have no friends and I don't get along with my husband, parents or siblings either. I am very very angry and it's taking a toll on my health (which isn't great to begin with). What can I do to better explain my thoughts and feelings without alienating the people I care about, convince them to discuss difficult subjects with me (instead of just shutting down the conversation altogether) and be more accepting of people who have a totally opposite worldview than I have?

What is a good argument to convince independents to pick a side? What is a good argument to persuade non voters to participate in their civic duty?

My daughter is turning 21 soon but I can't afford to buy her a gift or take her out anywhere. I'm going to cook her favorite dinner and make a cake to eat at home and have her boyfriend and a few relatives over, but that seems so lame for such a milestone birthday. What else can I do that's free or very low cost to make her feel special? I also grew up very poor, feeling worthless and deprived and really don't want my child to feel that way too. In such a materialistic culture where wealth is worshipped and poor people are shunned, it's a really terrible feeling that destroys your self esteem.

Hello I'm sure I'm not the only one dealing with this terrible and overwhelming problem. I have very dense mature foliage around my home and the Stinkvines are taking over. I try to pull them out by the root but since the vine is so thin and delicate they usually just break off halfway down, causing them to grow back even thicker than before. And when the vines break off it's almost impossible to find the origin because my landscaping is so thick. Are there any other feasible solutions to getting rid of them?

I live in a home surrounded by lush dense tropical foliage so I spend a lot of time weeding and gardening in my property. In years past my yard was infested with wasps and spiders everywhere and I would be attacked by swarms of mosquitoes anytime I stepped outside without bug repellent. I certainly don't enjoy those insects but I understand they all serve a purpose in the food chain. But this year I've been noticing a significant decline in wasps and spiders in my yard and I spent several hours weeding today and didn't get a single mosquito bite, which would be unheard of in years past. Is it just a fluke or has anyone else made similar observations recently? Is this anything to be concerned about?

Hello about to buy some new has from Costco and have some questions. Is the only way to schedule an appointment by phone? My location is very busy and they don't answer the phone. You have to leave a message and then they call back, but if I'm not available when they call back (because I'm working and can't always take personal calls) it becomes a frustrating game of phone tag. I don't see an online scheduling option on their website. Any suggestions or work arounds for scheduling appointments?

I believe there's a 3 year warranty on all the aids they sell. Does that cover everything that might go wrong, or are there some situations where I might have to pay more out of pocket than the original purchase price? For example if I want to get the sound adjusted do I have to pay for that? If so, how much is it? What about if the receiver breaks or becomes disconnected? Do I need to keep renewing my Costco membership every year for the duration of the 3 year warranty to get service after purchase? Do I need to make an appointment to get an adjustment or can I just walk in and wait in line?

Does anyone here have an extended warranty? How long can you extend for and how much does it cost? Is it worth it to buy one?

For rechargeable has, is the charger included in the purchase price or is it extra? If extra, how much does it cost?

Or is battery powered better? They're slightly more expensive but I've had my current pair for more than 5 years.

Is there anything else I need to know about purchasing through Costco? Thanks

There are so many terrible and very complex issues in our country right now, most of which are just being ignored, and we are quickly moving backwards instead of forward. I have really lost all hope for the future. I've always done the "right" things and what was expected of me (studied hard, took out loans to go to college and paid them all off too, worked hard, got married, lived below my means, tried to save for the future, volunteer my time to help others, etc) but now I find myself old, disabled, unemployed and apparently unhireable, broke, isolated and depressed. Unfortunately my (all of our) kids are here now and will be left to clean up this huge mess after we're gone. I don't want any of them to feel as hopeless, helpless and discouraged as I do. I can already see their cynicism and lack of faith/trust in our institutions. How can I prevent my negativity and lack of resilience from wearing off on them? Or what can I do to improve my and their outlook on life and resilience in these very troubling times?

I'm a disabled unemployed broke mom in Florida. Since I can't find a job, I have plenty of free time to volunteer for political candidates, however I'm having trouble finding ways I can actually help. I have no money to donate. I don't drive (due to my disability) and don't even own a car, so can't really leave my house either. I've done phone banking many times for many different candidates but that just seems like a waste of my time because no one ever answers the phone. (And the very few who do, just blow me off. Of the 100s of calls I've made, I can't remember a single conversation where I was able to change someone's mind or persuade them to do something they weren't already planning to do.) I want to help but don't know how else to do so. Any ideas?

Hello, my mom is in her 80s and is showing signs of dementia (can't remember anything, repeats herself over and over, gets lost, etc) which runs in our/her family, however she refuses to get a diagnosis. She is married to a horrible controlling abusive manipulative jerk (not my father) who only married her because he wanted a slave to cook and clean and wait on him hand and foot (which she does willingly) and get all her money (which she turned over to him so he manages all their finances). I don't think he gives a damn about her but unfortunately she is still madly in love with him (brainwashed after many years of abuse).

The house they live in is unsafe with lots of stairs and no railings. She's already fallen several times so it's just a matter of time before she's seriously injured. Her husband is in very good shape for his age both mentally and physically and he adamantly refuses all offers of help to install railings or make the house safer for her. (I think he wants her to fall and hurt herself.) They have enough money to live modestly comfortably but are not wealthy or well off. They do not have any LTC insurance or plan in place if one of them (she) becomes incapacitated, disabled or incompetent.

She says she never wants to go into a nursing home, however if she falls and breaks her hip, I don't see her husband caring for her properly in their home. Her husband is her POA and if he dies first, his equally evil daughter will become my mother's POA. Neither one of these people have her best interests in mind or care about her.

Unfortunately I live thousands of miles away, I'm disabled, unemployed, broke, with no extra room, money or ability to take care of her myself (although she would never leave him or even think about moving away anyway) . When I try to bring up the subject of her end of life care she doesn't want to talk about it and changes the subject. What are her actual feasible options in this situation? How can I get her to talk about it? (Her husband also listens to all her phone calls so it's almost impossible to have a private conversation with her.) What can I do to help her?

I'm watching this movie right now. It's free on YouTube for anyone else interested in seeing a young (24 yo) Sinead O'Connor in her first movie role. She is so skinny and looks so different but of course still beautiful with longer hair. As an American, I'm having trouble understanding what the actors are saying due to the very strong accents, but I'm kind of following along. I will also say Sinead is a natural actress although she was already famous (1 or 2 albums already released) when this movie came out. I'd love to hear the thoughts and memories of the other actors who worked with her on this film, or any other fans who've watched it.

Trying to figure out the average total value of everything outside of pay (benefits, bonuses, company swag, taxes) paid annually per FT employee in the US.

Haven't been in a few years, but recently visited weeki watchee and the water was very very low (at least 3 feet lower than last year). I don't recall the water being very deep at lithia springs and wonder if it's still a good swimming hole and/or worth a 2 hour drive?

Currently watching a parent and several aunts and uncles suffering with this dreadful disease all at the same time, so I'm pretty confident it will soon be coming for me too. I'm already disabled, unemployed, can't find a job and poor, so LTC insurance is not an option for me. I don't want to be a burden on my only child or expect them to take care of me when it finally does kick in for me. So I guess my only option will be to turn over all my assets to the state (so my only child gets nothing of what I worked so hard my whole life to achieve), go on Medicaid and be stuck sitting in a dirty diaper all day with no visitors, no mental stimulation, no quality of life, in some substandard nursing home? Is that right? Personally, I would prefer to be dead. Are there any other feasible options for poor people with dementia? What are your plans? We all know that elder care is a crisis in the US and only getting worse. Shouldn't we all be petitioning our elected officials for assisted suicide? Why aren't we doing this? Am I the only one thinking about these things? Why isn't this talked about more in the national news and/or addressed by our elected and wannabe leaders?

My client has stopped communicating with me and hasn't paid me for 15 hours of completed work. They owe me $750. Should I just move on with my life or is that amount worth taking them to small claims court for? Do I have any other recourse to get paid the money they owe me?

I've been feeling unwell for several years. I had some tests done by my pcp but still have no clear diagnosis. I'm thinking about going to a specialist in a different healthcare system and requested my records online. Nowhere on the provider's website does it say anything about fees to get your records. Yesterday I received my records in the mail with a note that they'll be sending me an invoice separately. (For how much? I have no idea.) If I had known there was a fee, I would never have ordered them in the first place since I am disabled and unemployed and already struggling financially. What can I do to fight this undisclosed charge?

My dear auntie was placed into memory care a few months ago. She's single with no children and I live on the opposite side of the country, so I'm unable to visit. However I have several siblings (one of whom is her POA) who do live in the same town as my auntie, but they don't go visit her either. There's always an excuse why they can't go (bc they don't want to is what I suspect is the real reason). Our auntie is declining very rapidly. I understand it is depressing to see her in this condition and it's now very difficult to communicate with her (she doesn't remember anything or anyone anymore), but it really bothers me that she was basically locked away and forgotten about. No one is looking out for her, ensuring she is getting the care she needs or advocating for her. This has made me very angry and resentful of my siblings that live near her, and could go visit, but choose not to and it's starting to affect my relationship with them. I seem to be the only family member troubled by this. How can I make peace with this terrible situation?